The grand opening of the Save Shirui Lily Campaign at Classic Grande, Chingmeirong, today was marked by a call for collective community participation to safeguard the endangered state flower of Manipur.
Dr. T. Brajakumar, Director of Environment & Climate Change, underlined that the Shirui Lily, once flourishing on the pristine slopes of Shirui Hills, is now under severe threat from climate change, shifting habitats, and human disturbances.
He maintained that the rare flower could not survive in isolation without active community involvement and a balanced ecosystem.
The campaign, jointly organised by the Miss Shirui Lily Organising Committee, Indigenous Foundation, Directorate of Environment & Climate Change, and the Department of Forest, brought together policymakers, researchers, and community leaders.
Tangkhul Naga Long Vice President, R.S. Jollyson, presided over the function, while Shirui village headmen Yungrei Shangh and Soyo Wungsek attended as Guests of Honour.
The thematic songs presented by Padma Shri Guru Rewben Mashangva added cultural resonance to the conservation appeal.
Speakers stressed that the declining growth of the Shirui Lily over the years is a grim reminder of habitat degradation and the urgent need for sustainable intervention.
They highlighted that rapid land-use changes, new settlements, and external pressures have disrupted the fragile ecosystem of Shirui Hills, once a secure natural home of the rare species.
The inaugural was followed by a technical seminar where scholars and researchers presented papers on the changing habitat of Shirui Lily and the emergent need for community stewardship in its conservation.
Local voices from Ukhrul also shared observations on the gradual decline of the flower, reinforcing the view that safeguarding Shirui Lily must become a people’s movement.
